DAILY NEWS CLIP: January 20, 2025

Two CT community health centers get $740K in federal funds to expand service hours


Greenwich Time – Sunday, January 19, 2025
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni

Two community health centers in Connecticut are receiving a total of $740,000 in additional federal funding to expand the operation hours of various health services. The goal of the extra hours is to provide more opportunities for patients to access health care that doesn’t interfere with daily life schedules.

“Having the option to get to the doctor before or after work or on the weekend not only helps families get the care they need, but it also helps relieve some of the stress and burden on families trying to arrange care,” said Carole Johnson, administrator of Health Resources and Services Administration, in a news release. “HRSA’s investment is expanding access to care in a way that recognizes the day-to-day realities of working families across the country.”

The funding comes as part of a national effort from the Health Rescources and Services Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to expand the hours of select clinics. The administration already funds community health centers nationwide to provide access to primary care services, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. The additional money will be used to expand its clinical and administrative staff working hours to early morning before a traditional work day, at night and on weekends.

The Connecticut centers receiving funding, Middletown’s Community Health Center, Inc. and New Haven’s Fair Haven Community Health Clinic, Inc., serve a combined population of 141,000 people, according to the news release. The centers are receiving $500,000 and $240,617, respectively, and will be looking to expand their physical, mental, dental, substance use disorder and pharmacy service hours.

By expanding the hours of these centers, the administration hopes to address common challenges in accessing health care while also connecting patients to affordable services and care outside of the typical workday.

“No one should have to delay or skip a trip to the doctor because of work or school. The millions of Americans who can’t miss their daytime work shift, whose kids are in school, who have limited child care, or who face transportation challenges deserve the same access to quality care,” said Xavier Becerra, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in a statement. “These investments will help to extend operating hours, especially for patients in rural or underserved communities nationwide. I’m proud to be part of an Administration that leaves nobody behind.”

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